Children aged 6 months to 4 years who are medically at risk

Invitation from paediatrician

Children with a severe medical condition will receive an invitation letter from their paediatrician to get a coronavirus vaccination. The letter will explain that your child can get vaccinated against coronavirus at a specific municipal health service (GGD) location and how you can make an appointment. You should always go to the appointment with your child.
 

Pfizer vaccine for children

Children aged 6 months to 4 years get 3 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children, which was approved for children in this age group by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on 19 October 2022.
 

Number of weeks between doses

Take your child to get the second dose 3 to 4 weeks after the first dose. Take your child to get the third dose at least 8 weeks after the second dose. If your child is also getting other vaccinations, make sure there is a 2 week interval between these vaccinations and the coronavirus vaccination. 
 

Injection in thigh or upper arm

For babies aged 6 to 12 months, the vaccine will be injected in their thigh. For children aged 1 to 4 years, the vaccine will be injected in their upper arm.
 

Vaccination prevents hospitalisation

Getting your child vaccinated against coronavirus is your choice. Vaccination makes it less likely that your child will become seriously ill from a coronavirus infection or end up in hospital.
 

Children aged 6 months to 4 years who are not medically at risk

Children aged 6 months to 4 years who do not have a serious medical condition do not have to get vaccinated against coronavirus. According to the Health Council of the Netherlands, they are unlikely to become seriously ill from a coronavirus infection. 
MIS-C, an inflammation following a coronavirus infection, is also very rare in children under 5. This complication has become even less common now that the Omicron variant is dominant. It is very rare for a child to develop MIS-C after a second or later coronavirus infection.
According to the Health Council, the number of children at risk of developing MIS-C is limited because many children have already had coronavirus. Vaccination does not give them extra protection against MIS-C. This is why children aged 6 months to 4 years who do not have a serious medical condition do not need to be vaccinated against coronavirus.